Wanting to change my 1/2 ton 'burb over to some bigger axles and brakes so I can tow our travel trailer with the Suburban as well as the flat bed. Seems to be really elusive on the west coast. I can find them on the east coast, but with shipping I'm into one from 1600-2000 and still have a small pile of rust that needs to be gone through and maybe re geared. Anybody have any leads? Rear is not a problem, leaning towards either a Dana 70 or a 14 bolt.

Ive got quite a few here in TX, but by the time you ship it, or come pick it up, its gonna run you the same as the East coast ones. A decent used 60 goes for $1k easy, so if you find a rebuilt one in cali, or a used one cheaper, jump on it.

If all you are after is bigger brakes, save yourself some money and just swap your half ton front over to the 3/4ton brakes/hubs. a 60 isn't needed unless your wheelin hard

Yes, upgrading the springs to 1 tons in the front. Pulling the rear out and having them rebuilt and rearched. Putting a 14 bolt or dana 70 in the rear. Already have the 8 lug rotors and backing plates for the front, but a D60 would be nice. Looking at these tires.https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...omCompare1=yes

This was my 1990. I was sorry I sold it about 3 months after. So looking for the same stance, maybe just a little lower. This had a Rancho 4'' lift with the rear springs rebuilt and a 2'' factory block. This had a 60 front in it with an ARB. 4.56 gearing. This was originally a 1/2 ton also

I feel your pain. I live right down the hill from you and the D60's are hard to find and usually super expensive when you do. It took me over a year and half of checking Craigslist on almost a daily basis before I found one that was in good shape and not ridiculously over priced. The best way to find/get one is to check CL or Pirate regularly and try to call/contact the seller the moment you find one you're interested in because they usually go fast... And as mentioned above 75-93 Dodge D60's will work in a Chevy and can be easier to find around us than the GM D60's. Just be aware that that the 89 and down axles had external locking hubs but 90-93 were internal like GM and be cautious of people selling D61's, they look almost identical to a D60 but they have really high gears (3.07) and have a weird pinion offset that makes gear changes a lot more difficult.

There are a couple options out there right now if you don't mind driving a little bit. Best deals I'm seeing at the moment are a D60 front with D70 rear out of a 92 Dodge for $1600 in Stockton ( https://stockton.craigslist.org/pts/6104721288.html ) or a GM D60 with 14 bolt rear for $1600 in San Jose ( https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/pts/6112603270.html ). There's also a front D60 from a 92 Dodge listed on Car-part at a wrecker by Vallejo that used to be listed for $990 and now says "call" for the price so it may be cheaper now...

Wanting to change my 1/2 ton 'burb over to some bigger axles and brakes so I can tow our travel trailer with the Suburban as well as the flat bed. Seems to be really elusive on the west coast. I can find them on the east coast, but with shipping I'm into one from 1600-2000 and still have a small pile of rust that needs to be gone through and maybe re geared. Anybody have any leads? Rear is not a problem, leaning towards either a Dana 70 or a 14 bolt.

You could always do what I did and buy a complete k30 truck and pull the drivetrain out of it. A few months back I bought a D60/14 bolt for $1100 (complete with spring plates) and thats a ok deal, but sometimes you have to pay to play. I went to our local swap meet last month and picked up a D60 housing for $200. if you can get that, you could always piece one together. Dont mess with a D70, there is a lot more aftermarket options for the 14 bolt, and replacement parts are everywhere. Up here you can pick them up for around $100 all day long.

When searching for a Dana 60, I would recommend using keywords like D60, 1ton, k30, k35, V30 and V35. You would be surprised what people label certain items as.

Thanks, I've been doing just that. Looking from Redding down to Sacramento and over to Reno. This whole area is picked over pretty well.
the 70 is possibly for the rear. I have both a 70 and a 14 bolt sitting here at the house. Either one I pick is going to be about 1500.00 to build plus the springs and new shocks. Front is going to be pricey when I up grade that. I can wait out finding a front end for a while as I can swap that to 8 lug in about 2 hours

for whatever reason up around chicago land they are $800 for just a stock open dana60. have been that price forever and as long as i can remember. its just funny how prices change when you go to a different area

edit... guess im out of touch and just looked on craigslist it seems they did go up in price a bit, there is one on there for $900

i bought mine complete and attached to a pos plow truck for $800 but that was like 10 years ago

i guess its supply and demand with all the off road people buying them up.